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Download Preprint Figure 1 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 2 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 3 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 4 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 5 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 6 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 7 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 8 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 9 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 10 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 11 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 12 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 13 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 14 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS Figure 15 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS 1 Tectono-magmatic, sedimentary and hydrothermal history of Arsinoes and 2 Pyrrhae Chaos, Mars 3 Erica Luzzi1, Angelo Pio Rossi1, Cristian Carli2 and Francesca Altieri2 4 5 1Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany 6 2Inaf-IAPS Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy 7 Corresponding author: Erica Luzzi ([email protected]) 8 Key points 9 10 • We produced a morpho-stratigraphic map of Arsinoes and Pyrrhae Chaos, including the 11 volcanic grabens occurring throughout the study area; 12 • Spectral analyses of the light-toned deposits provide clues for sedimentary and 13 hydrothermal minerals; spectral analyses of the bedrock are indicative of basaltic 14 compositions; 15 • The observed volcano-tectonic surface features and the lack of evidences of any fluvial 16 activity suggest that magmatic processes might be primarily responsible for the collapse 17 of the chaotic terrain. 18 19 Abstract 20 Arsinoes and Pyrrhae Chaos are two adjacent chaotic terrains located east of Valles Marineris 21 and west of Arabia Terra, on Mars. In this work we produced a morpho-stratigraphic map of 22 the area, characterized by a volcanic bedrock disrupted into polygonal mesas and knobs 23 (Chaotic Terrain Unit) and two non-disrupted units. The latter present a spectral variation, 24 likely associated with hydrated minerals, and they are here interpreted as sedimentary units. 25 The reconstructed geological history of the area starts with the emplacement of the basaltic 1 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS 26 bedrock, followed by the collapse that caused the formation of the chaotic terrains. Since 27 evidences of volcano-tectonic activity are widespread across the area (e.g. fissure vents/graben, 28 radial and concentric systems of faults, y-shaped conjunctions, lava flows, pit chains), and an 29 intricate system of lava conduits is hypothesized for the occurrence of such features, we 30 propose the possibility that the whole collapse was caused primarily by volcano-tectonic 31 processes. In a late stage, after the end of the volcano-tectonic activity, a lacustrine/evaporitic 32 depositional environment could have set, with the deposition of the non-disrupted units. The 33 hydrated minerals found in the periphery of the Chaos could be the result of hydrothermal 34 alteration of the basaltic bedrock. 35 Keywords:Chaotic terrains; Mapping; Spectral analyses; Mars; Hydrothermal system. 36 Plain Language Summary 37 Chaotic terrains are peculiar features on Mars. They consist of broad regions characterized by a variable surface 38 disruption pattern of large polygonal blocks. Formation scenarios in the literature have always included a collapse, 39 possibly caused by a range of processes, all including water or hydrated compounds (magma-ice interactions, 40 melting of buried ice, groundwater pressure, etc.). In this work, we propose volcano-tectonic processes as 41 mechanism of formation for closed chaotic terrains. Additionally, our mineralogical analyses suggest that during 42 a late stage of the volcanic activity a hydrothermal system could have set. In such scenario hot water would have 43 risen from the subsurface through fractures created by the volcanic activity, evolving from eruptive to 44 hydrothermal. However, water would not have been directly involved in the initial collapse that formed the chaos. 45 1 Introduction 46 Arsinoes and Pyrrhae Chaos are two adjacent chaotic terrains, respectively centered at 7.8°S, 47 332°E and 10.3°S, 331.5°E (Fig. 1), a few tens of kilometres south of Aureum Chaos and a few 48 hundred kilometres SW of Aram Chaos, sharing with the latter many structural and 49 depositional characteristics. Several mechanisms of formation were proposed in literature to 2 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS 50 explain the nature of the putative collapse responsible for the disruption of the bedrock into 51 polygonal blocks that characterizes the chaotic terrains. The proposed scenarios include: i) a 52 major role played by groundwater and cryosphere, particularly linked to changes of pressure 53 within the aquifer that caused the disruption of the bedrock and subsequent water outflow 54 (Andrews-Hanna & Phillips, 2007; Carr, 1979; Harrison & Grimm, 2009; Rodriguez et al., 55 2005), ii) the occurrence of a buried ice lake that after melting would have caused fracturing 56 and catastrophic outflow (Manker & Johnson, 1982; Roda et al., 2014; Zegers et al., 2010), iii) 57 catastrophic destabilization of buried clathrates (Hoffman, 2000; Kargel et al., 2007), and iv) 58 magma-cryosphere/groundwater interactions (Chapman & Tanaka, 2002; Head & Wilson, 59 2007; Leask et al., 2006; Meresse et al., 2008; Wilson & Head III, 2002). Given the complexity 60 of the current geologic setting of Arsinoes and Pyrrhae Chaos, possibly augmented by an 61 extended time of erosion and mantling, a possible interaction between the proposed processes 62 (or singular contributions at different times) must also be considered. 63 In the present work we performed the morpho-stratigraphic mapping of Arsinoes and Pyrrhae 64 Chaos and a spectral analysis of the deposits. We propose a possible sequence of events to 65 explain the occurrence of the collapsed bedrock involving magmatic processes followed by an 66 aqueous depositional environment. 67 68 1.2 Regional setting 69 The first comprehensive description of chaotic terrains was made by Sharp et al. (1971) using 70 Mariner 6 imagery, followed by Sharp (1973) based on Mariner 9 data and Schultz et al. (1982) 71 based on Viking data. In this early stage of research, the main features of Martian chaotic 72 terrains were already clear and these areas were defined as deeply collapsed terrains disrupted 73 into an irregular pattern of tilted mesas and knobs, in some cases associated with outflow 3 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS 74 channels. The Chaotic Terrain Unit was first defined by Schultz and Rogers (1982) and then 75 with a refinement by Glotch & Christensen (2005) into three subunits: Fractured Plains, 76 Knobby Terrain and High Thermal Inertia Chaotic Terrain. The Chaotic Terrain Unit is 77 interpreted as the basaltic bedrock (Christensen et al., 2000; Glotch & Christensen, 2005) and 78 occurs over a large area including several other chaotic terrains such as Aureum, Aram, 79 Hydratoes, Aurorae, Chryse and Hydaspis Chaos. The age of the Chaotic Terrain Unit 80 according to Tanaka et al., (2014) is Middle Noachian, with younger Hesperian ages in the 81 internal portions of collapsed areas. With the collection of new compositional data from 82 THEMIS (Thermal Emission Imaging System), TES (Thermal Emission Spectrometer), 83 OMEGA (Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité) and CRISM 84 (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars), the investigations in literature 85 focused mainly on the sedimentary units lying on top of the basaltic bedrock. Several authors 86 analyzed the mineralogy of the layered sedimentary units occurring for example in Aram Chaos 87 (Catling & Moore, 2003; Christensen et al., 2001; Dobrea et al., 2008; Gendrin et al., 2005; 88 Glotch & Christensen, 2005; Lichtenberg et al., 2010; Liu et al., 2012; Massé et al., 2008; 89 Ormö et al., 2004), Aureum and Iani Chaos (Dobrea et al., 2008; Glotch & Rogers, 2007; 90 Sefton-Nash et al., 2012). Hematite deposits associated with monohydrated and polyhydrated 91 sulfates were spatially correlated with layered sedimentary units, separated by an unconformity 92 from the basaltic bedrock. The occurrence of hydrated sulfates and hematite allowed some 93 authors to assume that an aqueous and/or hydrothermal depositional environment must have 94 set after the collapse of the bedrock. The sedimentary layered deposits in Arsinoes Chaos were 95 not included in the previous studies, while in Pyrrhae Chaos the sedimentary deposits are not 96 observed at all. The lack of studies in this location emphasizes the need to expand our 97 knowledge of this area, providing a broader context on Martian chaotic terrains. 4 SUBMITTED TO JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: PLANETS 98 2 Data and methods 99 2.1 Data, processing and tools 100 The imagery used to perform the geological mapping is provided by the CTX (Context Camera) 101 (Malin et al., 2007) and HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) (McEwen et 102 al., 2007) instruments onboard the MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). One HRSC (High 103 Resolution Stereo Camera, on board Mars Express spacecraft) image was also used to observe
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